Biography

"Udagawa took the orchestra on an astonishing and fearless musical flight..." wrote one reviewer about the dynamic young conductor, Yoichi Udagawa. His performances have been hailed as "powerful and emotionally evocative," and his relaxed manner and ability to speak from the podium have helped new audiences as well as enthusiasts gain a greater appreciation for symphonic music.

Music Director and Conductor of the Cape Ann Symphony Orchestra, the Melrose Symphony Orchestra, and the Quincy Symphony Orchestra, Mr. Udagawa leads an active season of rehearsals and concerts full of diverse and varied programs. He is also a cover conductor at the Boston Pops Orchestra. Frequently invited to guest conduct, Mr. Udagawa has worked with many different orchestras including the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, the Nobeoka Philharmonic Orchestra, the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston, the University of Texas Symphony Orchestra, the Indian Hill Symphony, the Garden State Philharmonic, the Brown University Orchestra, the Syracuse Society for New Music, the Boston Conservatory Orchestra, the Midcoast Symphony Orchestra, the Newton Symphony, the Austin Civic Orchestra, and the Mid-Texas Symphony. Guest conducting appearances during the 2014-15 season include several honor orchestras in New York.

A fan of many different styles of music, Mr. Udagawa is at home in the standard symphonic repertoire as well as popular and contemporary music. His concerts for the 2014-15 season include Beethoven Symphony No. 7, Brahms Symphony No. 2, Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4, Wagner Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan, the Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 1, and several world premieres as well as special education, holiday and pops programs.

Yoichi Udagawa, the son of a nuclear physicist father and singer/artist mother, was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. His family immigrated to the United States soon thereafter. He began playing the violin at age four and made his conducting debut at the age of fifteen. After receiving a music degree from the University of Texas at Austin, he continued advanced studies in conducting with Gunther Schuller, Seiji Ozawa, Morihiro Okabe, and Henry Charles Smith. He is an avid fan of exercise and yoga and continuous self-education.